Kerry arrives in Brussels for talks on countering extremism

BRUSSELS — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in Brussels for counter-terrorism talks with EU and Belgian officials and to pay his respects to the victims of this week’s attacks.

Kerry landed at the still-closed Brussels airport for a brief, hastily scheduled stop from Moscow, where he said the attacks underscored the urgency of unity in the fight against the Islamic State group. The group has claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s bombings at the airport departure terminal and a downtown Metro stop that killed 31 people and wounded 270.

On his five-hour visit Kerry is to meet with European Union Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Belgium Prime Minister Charles Michel and Foreign Minister Didier Reynders as well as Belgium’s King Philippe. He will also lay a wreath at a memorial site at the airport for attack victims.